Shelley Nowack is Jane's best friend. She shares the good news along with the bad news. With a competitive nature, nothing she does is by half measures. Her husband has generously donated an old theater to the community college. Shelley agrees to organize the catered snack supper for the casts' rehearsals.

While Jane waits for the editor reading her manuscript to answer, Shelley invites her to be a taste tester. In the first evening of rehearsals the elderly Ms. Bunting, one of the better actors, compliments wistfully Jane's needlepointing. It seems natural to invite her to the beginner's needlepointing class. Somewhere between classes, shopping and lunch, the three women bond their friendship. Friction runs deep between the pompous Professor Imry, the writer and producer of the play, and the actors he has hired. The play is terrible and without the playwright's cooperative rewrites, it will be a flop. Then tragedy befalls the cast. Dennis Roth is found murdered. Detective Mel Van Dyne cuts off his celebration of Jane's first sale to investigate. The consensus is Irmy did it, but anybody who had access to the theater is a suspect, and the incompetent Professor Irmy has handed keys out like candy at Halloween.

Then Sven Turner, the night janitor, is attacked and left for dead in the alley behind the theater. He survives, but with a head injury and in a coma state. His prognosis is poor. If he regains consciousness, will he remember? During a search of the victim's residence a stash of money is found. Has Sven been blackmailing the killer? And is there romance or just friendship blooming between Jane and the handsome Detective Van Dyne?

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S SCREAM is fast paced with daily life mixed in. It is good for a light read. Although it is well written, Ms. Churchill leads us through the story to its logical conclusion, and left me not caring one way or the other about the characters. I could have put the book down at any time.

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